Never Enough Coffee!

Nespresso at home

I guess it’s fair to say, I may have veered off the wagon. No….nothing to do with drinking too much - lets save that for another day. I am talking about staying current with blog posts. Can’t give you any good reasons, so I won’t try. But, I’m back.

Of course it would be much easier to simply stay home and pop a capsule into the trusty Nespresso machine but that would take all the fun out of things - wouldn’t it? Sometimes you just have to get out of your comfort zone and head out into the vast coffee highways and as I am discovering the coffee roads are long and very crowded. I have created a list of places that I thought would be interesting and I’m slowly knocking them off one by one.

Nespresso….

The first one on my list was Jimmy’s. I didn’t know this when I started out but they have become a mini-empire of coffee. I assumed maybe they had one or two locations. No..no..no…they actually have nine and they cover a number of trendy neighbourhoods. Take that Mr. Starbucks. Anyhow….I decided to try out the closest location to me which was the Kensington market spot.

I grabbed this from their website - Jimmy’s Coffee on Baldwin opened in early 2013 in the heart of Kensington Market. It was the market's unique and intimate community that drew Jimmy’s in and it has since become a popular hangout for locals during the week, and a hot spot for tourists on weekends. Jimmy's Baldwin is highlighted by its beautiful and expansive back patio, Toronto’s perfect downtown oasis. While there is plenty of seating inside, come early to get a seat—the tables quickly fill up with students, artists and locals who hunker down with an Americano and a good book.

The actual location is quite nice but for some they might not feel entirely comfortable in this part of town. Its safe but its a bit shabby. The Kensington market isn’t for everyone - let’s just say its got character. Inside it’s very roomy and there are a number of small tables/chairs for you to enjoy. They have some power outlets however they don’t have them at every table. The back patio looks nice but I doubt it’s getting much interest this time of year (sigh). The staff were super friendly and they made me feel quite welcome. I would score it a 4/5 and by the way the coffee was very good.

Next on the list was a place that I had read about and at the same time sort of stumbled upon. Hale Coffee is a real neighbourhood gem. I have spent most of my adult life living in the east-end of Toronto so when I’m out on my e-bike, I am discovering all kinds of interesting places, buildings and shops that I didn’t even know existed. I’m sure every city is like that - where you have many great neighbourhoods and Toronto is famous for that. Anyways, this shop is on Campbell Avenue which is just south of Dupont and west of Lansdowne. Not an area that I’m really familar with!

When you enter you come into a very large and inviting room. It is part of a warehouse/working area so it has that loft, exposed pipes, old type feeling. There is more than enough places to sit and sip or pull out your computer and start working away. They even have a appropriate number of outlets to plug into. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere/vibe is pleasing. It’s a bit too far for me to go on a regular basis but if you live in the west end this is a place worth visiting. This is from their website.

Born out of the dynamism and unstoppable energy of Toronto, Hale Coffee has emerged as an independent coffee roaster dedicated to educating our customers that specialty, quality coffee, has a rightful place in our city. Everyone on our team shares a genuine belief in the potential for coffee to bring people together and inspire a creative community - one as diverse as coffee itself.

Our quality and community-driven approach has been recognized by Toronto’s most prominent publications and coffee festivals. From our humble beginnings on Queen and Spadina to our current home in The Junction Triangle, we are proud to be one of Toronto’s finest roasters and coffee hubs. Join us as we continue to invest in the expansion of third wave coffee culture in this amazing city we get to call home.

Ah…..on to my latest find. This one is so good that I’ve come back a day later! Its called 36 Knots and don’t tell too many people how good it is. It’s hard to describe this place. It’s a combination furniture/home furnishing store with a cafe. I found this description online…..

"At the core of Thirty Six Knots is a commitment to breathtaking design and superior quality. As a purveyor of world-class products, we proudly celebrate beauty, tradition and the individuality of artisans by sourcing and creating goods made with sustainable and ethical standards in mind."

What makes this place stand out (in my humble opinion) is the sitting area. There is a long banquette attached to the main wall that 4-6 people could sit and then there are 4 more comfortable tables for 2. And the chairs - wow, very comfortable. I mean, what would you expect - it’s a high end furniture store. I didn’t arrive early enough to get the banquette but was able to get one of the tables. And - it’s 11 am and it’s full. Based on what I can see it looks like people are hunkering in for a few hours. I see one guy who was here yesterday!! It looks like he’s making it his office. The first time I was here I had a latte and a BLT bagel and they were both good and not over-priced. We are in the Summerhill area of TO, which can be a bit of a high-rent area. Today, I’m having a drip coffee - still very good. Of all of the places I’ve been to it probably has the most comfortable seating that I’ve seen and it’s where I’m actually finishing this blog post.

Photo Credit - 36 Knots Website

So that takes me to my final place for the blog! This one is quite close to where I live - meaning it’s an easy, easy walk. How to describe Creeds? It’s a coffee shop, purveyor of expensive gourmet groceries and they also offer premium dry cleaning. For anyone older than 40 they may remember the famous Creeds department store on Bloor Street - known as the Mink Mile. It eventually went out of business in 1990.

So - what about the experience? It’s very large with lot’s of places to sit and work from and in the summer months they have tables out in front. They sell a lot of high end food stuffs - think Pusateri's! The day I went it was very busy with almost all of the seats taken. It’s setup communal style so hopefully you don’t mind sitting with other people. The coffee was good but it did seem a little expensive. With tax/tip a latte was very close to $10.00. Too expensive for me but given that the seats were full it’s obviously very popular - so, what do I know!

Creeds

The Barista’s

Latte

The Menu Board

Photo Credit - Creeds Website

Well….that’s it for this blog. Still lot’s of places to visit and write about and I won’t let you down - I will get to them as time allows (and budget)! Have a great day and stay safe……